Richmond Auctions Enters Sports Card Market with Premier November Auction

Richmond Auctions is bringing its collector-first approach to a new arena this fall with its inaugural Premier Sports Card & TCG Auction, set for November 7, 2026, at the company’s Greenville, South Carolina headquarters. www.richmondauctions.com and bid.richmondauctions.com

For Richmond, the move into sports cards and memorabilia represents a natural expansion for an auction house built by collectors and known for bringing exceptional and often fresh-to-market material to auction. Since holding its first sale in 2021, Richmond Auctions has surpassed $100 million in gross auction sales while establishing a national reputation across vintage advertising, automobilia, petroliana, historical firearms, gold and other specialty collecting categories. 

Now, the auction house is turning its attention to sports collectibles—and its inaugural catalog will include significant material spanning more than a century of sports history.

Leading the early highlights is one of the hobby’s most recognizable cards: a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311, graded SGC 4.5. The Mantle has long been an icon of postwar card collecting and gives Richmond’s inaugural sports auction an immediately recognizable centerpiece.

Joining it is an exceptionally compelling piece from an earlier generation: a 1916 M101-4 Gimbels “Shoeless” Joe Jackson #87, graded SGC 6. Together, Jackson and Mantle provide two powerful anchors representing very different eras of baseball and the evolution of the sports-card hobby.

The depth continues with a 1954 Johnston Cookies Henry “Hank” Aaron rookie card #5 graded PSA 9, adding another baseball legend and an especially strong regional issue to the lineup.

Modern collectors will also find substantial material. A 2001-02 Upper Deck Michael Jordan Buybacks autograph, numbered 1/10, graded BGS 9.5 with a 9 autograph, brings one of sports collecting’s most enduring names into the mix.

The catalog also reaches into the next generation of stars with a 2013 Bowman Chrome Draft Pick Autographs Blue Wave Refractor Aaron Judge, numbered to 50 and graded BGS 9.5, along with a 2020 Panini Contenders Championship Ticket Joe Burrow rookie autograph, numbered to 49 and graded PSA 10.

For Richmond Auctions founders Jordan Richmond and Mike McCandless, entering sports collectibles extends a philosophy that has worked across very different collecting communities. Whether the object is a rare advertising sign, collector automobile, natural gold nugget or coveted sports card, the fundamentals remain similar: rarity, condition, provenance and the story behind the piece matter.

The November auction is intended to be more than a one-time entry into the category. It marks the beginning of Richmond’s push to establish sports cards and memorabilia as another meaningful part of its growing auction calendar.

The Premier Sports Card & TCG Auction takes place Saturday, November 7, 2026, with an in-person preview Friday, November 6, at Richmond Auctions in Greenville, South Carolina. Live and online bidding will be available. 

www.richmondauctions.com and bid.richmondauctions.com